The hoopla of the Oscars have long passed and festival season is upon us. I’ll make my segue by way of the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove directed by Louie Psihoyos and brought to me by way of SILVERDOCS 2009.
SILVERDOCS is an International Documentary Film Festival held just outside our nation’s capitol in Silver Spring, Maryland. In it’s 8th year, the festival will run from June 21-27 and will screen both feature-length films as well as short films which are typically paired with relevant features. Sky Sitney is the Director of Programming/Artistic Director and has been with SILVERDOCS since 2005. In fall of 2008 I joined the SILVERDOCS team as a Programming Intern taking on the tasks of cataloging and screening film entries in the months leading up to the festival and assisting with Filmmaker Check-in during the festival. Totally glamorous, trust me.
Last year I heard a small buzz around The Cove, but it was drowned out by the roars surrounding big titles such as The September Issue, The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, and No Impact Man. However it happened, I found a free time slot and watched with mixed horror and fascination the secrets of The Cove unveiled. It begins with one man’s directive to show the world what is going on in Taiji, Japan. Behind the “Do Not Pass” signs and heavily guarded sea cove are mysterious sounds and sights always kept hidden by what he believes to be the capture and murder of hundreds of wild dolphins. One man isn’t enough to fully investigate the scene, and this film documents his journey to uncover the truth in “a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery, adding up to an unforgettable story that has inspired audiences worldwide to action.”
By the halfway point of my screening, the plight of murdered dophins were pulling at my heart, and I was eager to cheer on the team gathered to pull off a secret mission to expose the slaugher. Selected like the team of Oceans 11, the film introduces the special operations team:
The team is described as an “elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers… [who embarked] on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, shining a light on a dark and deadly secret. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.” Really, I couldn’t have said it better myself. After seeing this film and others at SILVERDOCS, I’m convinced that a well-edited documentary keeps it’s story at the center and pushes that story forward with every scene – whether action or interview. What makes The Cove a double-whammy of a doc, is the combination of fascinating characters and the unfolding of a secret mission only matched by fiction thrillers like Mission Impossible. If you’d like to see how it all ends or if you’re wondering if you should fulfill your childhood dream of swimming with the dolphis, go to the official website, download it on Amazon.com or iTunes, buy a hard copy at your local DVD shop, or you can rent it from Netflix.
This year, SILVERDOCS’10 will be June 21-27 located in Silver Spring, Maryland in and around the AFI-Silver Theater.
I’ve already screened a dozen documentaries – good and bad – out of our 2,000+ submissions. We’ve got our work cut out for us and less than 8 weeks to bring you some amazing movies!
So, what is YOUR favorite documentary?
Highlighting next week:
If you haven’t seen an episode there’s no doubt you’ve at least heard of the Tina Fey break-out comedy from NBC, 30 Rock. In the vein of The Office and Saturday Night Live comedy, 30 Rock captures the hilarity of Tina Fey & Alec Baldwin along with Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan and Judah Friedlander in my new favorite Thursday night comedy! Physical comedy, political jesting, self-deprecation and guest appearances that rival E.R. – you can find it all HERE next week! Thanks for reading!
Winners! 
![[caedmonscall.net]](http://rmfo-blogs.com/images/ccneticon.jpg "The official unofficial fan site of Caedmon’s Call.")
![[derekwebb.net]](http://rmfo-blogs.com/images/dwneticon.jpg "The official fansite of Derek Webb.")
![[rmfo-blogs.com]](http://rmfo-blogs.com/images/rmfoblog.png "About the [rmfo-blogs.com] service.")